A. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of digital data processing systems wherein one or more host data processors utilize one or more supporting scientific processors in conjunction with storage systems that are commonly accessible. More particularly it relates to an improved Scientific Processor for use in such a digital data processing system. Still more particularly it relates to an improved Scientific Processor having a Scalar Processor Module and a Vector Processor Module, and operable under program control of one or more host processors, and further having addressing compatible with the host processor(s). More particularly, it relates to an improved Scientific Processor capable of accessing the high speed storage of a host processor(s) without need for dedicated mass storage or extensive caching.
B. State of the Prior Art
Digital data processing systems are known wherein one or more independently operable data processors function with one or more commonly accessible main storage systems. Systems are also known that utilize a support processor with its associated dedicated supporting, or secondary storage system. Such support processors are often configured to perform specialized scientific computations and are commonly under task assignment control of one of the independently operable data processors. The controlling data processor is commonly referred to as a "host processor". The host processor characteristically functions to cause a task to be assigned to the support processor; to cause required instructions and data to be transferred to the secondary storage system; to cause the task execution to be initiated; and to respond to signals indicating the task has been completed, so that results can be transferred to the selected main storage systems. It is also the duty of the host processor to recognize and accommodate conflicts in usage and timing that might be detected to exist. Commonly, the host processor is free to perform other data processing matters while the support processor is performing its assigned tasks. It is also common for the host processor to respond to intermediate needs of the support processor, such as providing additional data if required, responding to detected fault conditions and the like.
In the past, support scientific data processors have been associated with host data processing systems. One such prior art scientific processor is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,101,960, entitled "Scientific Processor" and assigned to Burroughs Corporation, of Detroit, Michigan. In that system, a single instruction multiple data processor, which is particularly suited for scientific applications, includes a high level language programmable front-end processor; a parallel task processor with an array memory; a large high speed secondary storage system having a multiplicity of high speed input/output channels commonly coupled to the front-end processor and to the array memory; and an over-all control unit. In operation of that system, an entire task is transferred from the front-end processor to the secondary storage system whereupon the task is thereafter executed on the parallel task processor under the supervision of the control unit, thereby freeing the front-end processor to perform general purpose input/output operations and other tasks. Upon parallel task completion, the complete results are transferred back to the front-end processor from the secondary storage system.
It is believed readily seen that the front-end processor used in this earlier system is a large general purpose data processing system which has its own primary storage system. It is from this primary storage system that the entire task is transferred to the secondary storage system. Further, it is believed to be apparent that an input/output path exists to and from the secondary storage system from this front-end processor. Since task transfers involve the use of the input/output path of the front-end processor, it is this input/outputpath and the transfer of data thereon between the primary and secondary storage systems which becomes the limiting link between the systems. Such a limitation is not unique to the Scientific Processor as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,101,960. Rather, this input/output path and the transfers of data are generally considered to be the bottleneck in many such earlier known systems.
The present scientific data processing system is considered to overcome the data transfer bottleneck by providing an unique system architecture using a high speed memory unit which is commonly accessible by the host processor and the scientific processor. Further, when multiple High Performance Storage Units (HPSU) are required, a Multiple Unit Adapter (MUA) is coupled between a plurality of high sped memory units and the Scientific Processor (SP).
Data processing systems are becoming more and more complex. With the advent of integrated circuit fabrication technology, the cost per gate of logic elements is greatly reduced and the number of gates utilized is ever-increasing. A primary goal in architectural design is to improve the through-put of problem solutions. Such architectures often utilize a plurality of processing units in cooperation with one or more multiple port memory systems, whereby portions of the same problem solution may be parcelled out to different processors or different problems may be in the process of solution simultaneously.
When an SP is utilized in a data processing system to perform supporting scientific calculations in support of a host processor or processors, and is utilized in conjunction with two or more HPSU's, the problem of timing of the access of the SP to any selected HPSU for either reading or writing causes problems of access coordination. In order to coordinate and provide the required control, the over-all system is arbitrarily bounded to require that the SP issue no more than a predetermined number of Requests for access without the receipt back of an Acknowledge. In one configuration, the system is bounded by requiring that no more than eight such Requests be issued by the SP without receipt of an Acknowledge. The details of the interface and control of a Multiple Unit Adapter for transmitting data to and from a designated HPSU by the SP is described in detail in the co-pending application entitled "Multiple Unit Adapter". There it is pointed out that the interface to the HPSU's must also provide for and accommodate different requesters that may be associated therewith. While the data processing system is essentially synchronous, that is operations are under clock control in their execution, the occurrence of Requests, the availability of responding units, and the occurrence of Acknowledge signals are asynchronous with respect to each other. The details of operation of the HPSU's are set forth in detail in the copending application entitled "High Performance Storage Unit".
The prior art has recognized that scientific processors generally have computational rates that significantly exceed the storage rates of associated memory systems. This imbalance restricted the use of these earlier systems and made them suitable for only a small class of scientific problems. The previously noted prior art scientific processor disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,101,960 was an exception to that general rule, in that it had a computational rate of one-half of the storage rate of the memory system. A more ideal solution to the problem is to set the maximum rate at which arithmetic/logical computational results are produced in a support processor are approximately equal to the maximum rate that data operands can move to and from the memory system, yielding a computation-to- storage rate ratio that is as close as possible to one-to-one.